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Breadcrumb

SPRINGFIELD, IL – Young hunters in the Illinois youth wild turkey season harvested a preliminary record of 1,300 birds, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) announced today. The 2012 season dates were March 31 and April 1 for the south zone and April 7-8 for the north zone. The record harvest surpasses the previous record for the youth turkey harvest of 748 set in 2011. This year, 4,100 youth turkey permits were issued, including 137 for special hunt areas, compared to 3,718 last year with 131 for special hunt areas.

“Excellent hunting weather this year during both weekends was a very important reason for the record harvest,” said Paul Brewer, IDNR Wild Turkey Project Manager. “A wet spring in 2011 once again contributed to below-average turkey reproduction in many areas, but a good mast crop and a very mild winter were working in favor of late spring broods.”

The columns below show preliminary harvest figures for both the north and the south zones by county, with harvest figures from 2011 and 2012.